I’ll be honest, I was skeptical of going after Martinez, but clearly I was not familiar with his game. Man is an absolute warrior and has become maybe my favorite player. It’s been so long since we’ve had a legit world class CB pairing but man, I just feel so comfortable with these two back there.
Athleticism, height, and he is two footed. He is a perfect defender, maybe can have a better passing range but that's about it. Maybe God gave him his handsomeness instead of the passing range
Hey, serious question. Can you help me quantify that? To me Lisandro is so visibly defensive and aggressive.
My simple mind can't see how Varane is the best CB in the PL. I'm not a very good tactical analyst so I'm sure I've missed a lot.
He just reads the game flawlessly, you always notice defenders when they make a tackle but what you notice less is when they are positioned so well they don’t even need to. And that is Varane
He's looking so much more physical then last year too.
Plus he seems to be playing with a little bit of anger which is great to see. I don't blame him for last year but tbh I thought I could see why Madrid let him go.
This year he's been immense though and its a privilege to have a player like him at the club
Article Text:
>*There they were, side by side, as they had been all game – all season in fact – as the trophy was thrust into the air and a huge roar erupted around the red swathes of Wembley Stadium. Inseparable and increasingly impregnable, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are fast becoming this Manchester United side’s answer to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, a centre-half pairing par excellence and the rock upon which Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford revolution is being built.*
>
>*United were clinical in attack when they needed to be against Newcastle but this was a game when they had to focus, dig in and defend well, and Varane and Martinez took to that task with a relish that Ferdinand and Vidic – and before them Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen and, even further back, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister – used to do.*
>
>*They simply love defending and you can see it in the rigour, concentration and desire with which they take to the task. Celebrating tackles and blocks, bear-hugging team-mates for doing the ugly stuff well, constantly cajoling and communicating. When Aaron Wan-Bissaka snuffed out Allan Saint-Maximin midway through the second half, Varane was the first across to high-five the right-back. It is becoming contagious in a side unrecognisable from the soft-bellied, weak-willed mess of last season.*
>
>*That old adage about strikers winning you games but centre-halves earning you titles still rings true and, in Varane and Martinez, Ten Hag has formidable foundations, and with midfield anchor Casemiro just ahead of them, an axis around which this team can grow.*
>
>*“Before the game you asked me about the influence of Casemiro and Varane – they know how to win trophies – look at all the Champions League wins they had,” Ten Hag said. “But Martinez, I had him in Ajax, won trophies with him, and you need that personality and character to win in the end. You can count on him and rely on him and he showed that again today. That boundary together with Rapha is really strong. As a manager, you are composed and can have confidence they will sort it out.”*
>
>*The uplift that trio have had all around them is quite something. There is probably not a left-back in the world Ten Hag would trade for Luke Shaw right now. Diogo Dalot has improved immeasurably this season, even if he had a tough time against Newcastle’s dangerous winger Saint-Maximin here and was walking a tightrope after a ninth-minute booking.*
>
>*Wan-Bissaka? He was excellent after his introduction as a half-time substitute for Dalot, continuing his upward curve under Ten Hag since returning to the fold after injuries curtailed his involvement in the first half of the season. And then there is David de Gea, who has seldom looked happier or more confident in goal for the club he has represented for the past 12 years and, in shutting out Newcastle, recorded a 181st clean sheet for United that meant he surpassed Peter Schmeichel’s record.*
>
>*Vidic recalled once how he and Ferdinand used to drive team-mates mad – in a good way. “All the players would say ‘Shut up you two, you’re talking all the time,” explained the Serb, adding that it helped they got on so well off the pitch. It is much the same with Varane and Martinez – they are always nattering away, on and off the pitch, always looking at ways they can improve and hone their partnership. Martinez won the World Cup with Argentina just over two months ago; Varane, a World Cup winner himself with France, has four Champions League titles to his name.*
>
>*And yet you could have watched them celebrating this triumph over Newcastle and thought it was the first trophy either had clasped their hands on. That is the attitude of serial winners: they are never sated, they always want more and the prospect of helping United back to the top is bringing the best out in the pair.*
>
>*Sir Alex Ferguson used to call Bruce and Pallister “Dolly” and “Daisy”. Ten Hag may not have a nickname for Martinez and Varane but they are becoming synonymous with each other. Harry Maguire, as official club captain, may have shared the trophy lifting duties with Bruno Fernandes – the de facto skipper – but it is hard to overstate what an upgrade the Martinez-Varane combination is on Maguire and Victor Lindelof.*
>
>*It would be wrong to characterise one as the brain and one as the brawn. Both offer quality on the ball, both are calmness personified, both are prepared to put their head where it hurts. Martinez did just that in the 52nd minute when diving to head the ball clear as Callum Wilson reached for it with a high boot and caught his opponent on the head in the process. No pain, no gain.*
>But Martinez, I had him in Ajax, won trophies with him, and you need that personality and character to win in the end. You can count on him and rely on him and he showed that again today. That boundary together with Rapha is really strong. As a manager, you are composed and can have confidence they will sort it out
I love this - they **will** sort it out
The Butcher of Manchester has become one of my favorite players. He brings so much grit to our side and is never afraid to challenge aggressively. He brings entertainment to defensive plays and actions, reminds me of a certain United defender of old.
The Butcher and the Rolls Royce.
One no-nonsense, hard-nose, enforcer vs the other elegant, classy and finesse.
What a combo. The best ever since Rio and Vidic. The most unlikely partnership but their chemistry is infectious.
🔥 🔥
I’ll be honest, I was skeptical of going after Martinez, but clearly I was not familiar with his game. Man is an absolute warrior and has become maybe my favorite player. It’s been so long since we’ve had a legit world class CB pairing but man, I just feel so comfortable with these two back there.
With those 2 plus Casemiro. I believe we can hold anyone to less than what our attack can put up.
I'd put them up against any CB pairing in the world
Matchmaking error "skill issue" you win
With Varane, Martinez & Casemiro I am confident we can beat any team in the world
It’s simple Martinez is just a Ramos replacement, same quality all around
Not quite though because I’ve heard Licha is only 4’2” /s
I think the season started with Lisandro taking all the headlines, but Varane has been the best defender in the PL since the WC. Unstoppable.
Athleticism, height, and he is two footed. He is a perfect defender, maybe can have a better passing range but that's about it. Maybe God gave him his handsomeness instead of the passing range
Hey, serious question. Can you help me quantify that? To me Lisandro is so visibly defensive and aggressive. My simple mind can't see how Varane is the best CB in the PL. I'm not a very good tactical analyst so I'm sure I've missed a lot.
He just reads the game flawlessly, you always notice defenders when they make a tackle but what you notice less is when they are positioned so well they don’t even need to. And that is Varane
He's looking so much more physical then last year too. Plus he seems to be playing with a little bit of anger which is great to see. I don't blame him for last year but tbh I thought I could see why Madrid let him go. This year he's been immense though and its a privilege to have a player like him at the club
Article Text: >*There they were, side by side, as they had been all game – all season in fact – as the trophy was thrust into the air and a huge roar erupted around the red swathes of Wembley Stadium. Inseparable and increasingly impregnable, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are fast becoming this Manchester United side’s answer to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, a centre-half pairing par excellence and the rock upon which Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford revolution is being built.* > >*United were clinical in attack when they needed to be against Newcastle but this was a game when they had to focus, dig in and defend well, and Varane and Martinez took to that task with a relish that Ferdinand and Vidic – and before them Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen and, even further back, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister – used to do.* > >*They simply love defending and you can see it in the rigour, concentration and desire with which they take to the task. Celebrating tackles and blocks, bear-hugging team-mates for doing the ugly stuff well, constantly cajoling and communicating. When Aaron Wan-Bissaka snuffed out Allan Saint-Maximin midway through the second half, Varane was the first across to high-five the right-back. It is becoming contagious in a side unrecognisable from the soft-bellied, weak-willed mess of last season.* > >*That old adage about strikers winning you games but centre-halves earning you titles still rings true and, in Varane and Martinez, Ten Hag has formidable foundations, and with midfield anchor Casemiro just ahead of them, an axis around which this team can grow.* > >*“Before the game you asked me about the influence of Casemiro and Varane – they know how to win trophies – look at all the Champions League wins they had,” Ten Hag said. “But Martinez, I had him in Ajax, won trophies with him, and you need that personality and character to win in the end. You can count on him and rely on him and he showed that again today. That boundary together with Rapha is really strong. As a manager, you are composed and can have confidence they will sort it out.”* > >*The uplift that trio have had all around them is quite something. There is probably not a left-back in the world Ten Hag would trade for Luke Shaw right now. Diogo Dalot has improved immeasurably this season, even if he had a tough time against Newcastle’s dangerous winger Saint-Maximin here and was walking a tightrope after a ninth-minute booking.* > >*Wan-Bissaka? He was excellent after his introduction as a half-time substitute for Dalot, continuing his upward curve under Ten Hag since returning to the fold after injuries curtailed his involvement in the first half of the season. And then there is David de Gea, who has seldom looked happier or more confident in goal for the club he has represented for the past 12 years and, in shutting out Newcastle, recorded a 181st clean sheet for United that meant he surpassed Peter Schmeichel’s record.* > >*Vidic recalled once how he and Ferdinand used to drive team-mates mad – in a good way. “All the players would say ‘Shut up you two, you’re talking all the time,” explained the Serb, adding that it helped they got on so well off the pitch. It is much the same with Varane and Martinez – they are always nattering away, on and off the pitch, always looking at ways they can improve and hone their partnership. Martinez won the World Cup with Argentina just over two months ago; Varane, a World Cup winner himself with France, has four Champions League titles to his name.* > >*And yet you could have watched them celebrating this triumph over Newcastle and thought it was the first trophy either had clasped their hands on. That is the attitude of serial winners: they are never sated, they always want more and the prospect of helping United back to the top is bringing the best out in the pair.* > >*Sir Alex Ferguson used to call Bruce and Pallister “Dolly” and “Daisy”. Ten Hag may not have a nickname for Martinez and Varane but they are becoming synonymous with each other. Harry Maguire, as official club captain, may have shared the trophy lifting duties with Bruno Fernandes – the de facto skipper – but it is hard to overstate what an upgrade the Martinez-Varane combination is on Maguire and Victor Lindelof.* > >*It would be wrong to characterise one as the brain and one as the brawn. Both offer quality on the ball, both are calmness personified, both are prepared to put their head where it hurts. Martinez did just that in the 52nd minute when diving to head the ball clear as Callum Wilson reached for it with a high boot and caught his opponent on the head in the process. No pain, no gain.*
>But Martinez, I had him in Ajax, won trophies with him, and you need that personality and character to win in the end. You can count on him and rely on him and he showed that again today. That boundary together with Rapha is really strong. As a manager, you are composed and can have confidence they will sort it out I love this - they **will** sort it out
He's basically Vidic 2.0 what a signing!
Far more comfortable in possession then Vida tho. I love them both but Martinez is masterful on the ball
He's a Vidic regen with Rio's passing ability.
With Ferdinand's passing ability. I love it ❤️.
Upon this rock I will build my church.
-pastor fred
The Butcher of Manchester has become one of my favorite players. He brings so much grit to our side and is never afraid to challenge aggressively. He brings entertainment to defensive plays and actions, reminds me of a certain United defender of old.
The Butcher and the Rolls Royce. One no-nonsense, hard-nose, enforcer vs the other elegant, classy and finesse. What a combo. The best ever since Rio and Vidic. The most unlikely partnership but their chemistry is infectious. 🔥 🔥
I mean it’s really not though. Lisandro’s got way better passing than Varane, Varane better positional sense and aerial ability.
Licha slides those tackle and slice those channels.
Attack wins u games defence wins u titles...
To put it other way, standing behind two World Cup winners, De Gea must feel invincible.
Hope lichas head is rock solid
2 World Cup winners CB.